The History Of Herodotus Volume 2 of 2

Page: 112

107. Of those however who were conquered by the Hellenes Xerxes did not
consider any to be a good man except only Boges, who was at Eïon: him he
never ceased commending, and he honoured very highly his children who
survived him in the land of Persia. For in truth Boges proved himself
worthy of great commendation, seeing that when he was besieged by the
Athenians under Kimon the son of Miltiades, though he might have gone
forth under a truce and so returned home to Asia, he preferred not to do
this, for fear that the king should that it was by cowardice that he
survived; and he continued to hold out till the last. Then when there was
no longer any supply of provisions within the wall, he heaped together a
great pyre, and he cut the throats of his children, his wife, his
concubines and his servants, and threw them into the fire; and after this
he scattered all the gold and silver in the city from the wall into the
river Strymon, and having so done he threw himself into the fire. Thus he
is justly commended even to this present time by the Persians.

108. Xerxes from Doriscos was proceeding onwards to invade Hellas; and as
he went he compelled those who successively came in his way, to join his
march: for the whole country as far as Thessaly had been reduced to
subjection, as has been set forth by me before, and was tributary under
the king, having been subdued by Megabazos and afterwards by Mardonios.
And he passed in his march from Doriscos first by the Samothrakian
strongholds, of which that which is situated furthest towards the West is
a city called Mesambria. Next to this follows Stryme, a city of the
Thasians, and midway between them flows the river Lisos, which at this
time did not suffice when supplying its water to the army of Xerxes, but
the stream failed. This country was in old time called Gallaïke, but now
Briantike; however by strict justice this also belongs to the Kikonians.

109. Having crossed over the bed of the river Lisos after it had been
dried up, he passed by these Hellenic cities, namely Maroneia, Dicaia and
Abdera. These I say he passed by, and also the following lakes of note
lying near them,—the Ismarian lake, lying between Maroneia and
Stryme; the Bistonian lake near Dicaia, into which two rivers pour their
waters, the Trauos 99 and the Compsantos; 100 and at Abdera no
lake indeed of any note was passed by Xerxes, but the river Nestos, which
flows there into the sea. Then after passing these places he went by the
cities of the mainland, 101 near one of which there is, as it chances, a
lake of somewhere about thirty furlongs in circumference, abounding in
fish and very brackish; this the baggage-animals alone dried up, being
watered at it: and the name of this city is Pistyros. 102

110. These cities, I say, lying by the sea coast and belonging to
Hellenes, he passed by, leaving them on the left hand; and the tribes of
Thracians through whose country he marched were as follows, namely the
Paitians, Kikonians, Bistonians, Sapaians, Dersaians, Edonians, Satrians.
Of these they who were settled along the sea coast accompanied him with
their ships, and those of them who dwelt inland and have been enumerated
by me, were compelled to accompany him on land, except the Satrians: